Accelerating War on Coal

January 22, 2013

It should have come as no surprise that President Barack Obama used his inauguration address to whip up more support for his campaign against the coal industry. Some of the reaction to what he said was astonishing, however.

"We will respond to the threat of climate change," Obama said on Monday, explaining his plan is to continue down "the path towards sustainable energy sources ..."

One media outlet reported the president's comments were "notable, given that he barely dealt with the issue in his first term."

The New York Times reported climate change is an issue Obama "has struggled to make progress on in the face of fierce opposition in Congress and in countries around the world."

The Washington Post cited Obama's insistence on blaming "the devastating impact of raging fires, and crippling drought, and more power storms" on climate change - but that newspaper's reporter chose not to point out experts say such links are tenuous.

The Sierra Club demanded Obama "make the fight against climate disruption a priority in his second term."

Claims Obama has not done much concerning climate change - or at least, his vision of how to fight it - are absurd.

Using every tactic available - and inventing some, such as canceling surface mine permits that already had been approved - Obama has been engaged in a war against the coal industry. That will mean higher electric bills for tens of millions of Americans, in the not-so-distant future.

Utilities have announced plans to close scores of coal-fired power plants. Some already have been shuttered.

Thousands of miners have been laid off because of the White House initiative. Workers in industries that rely on reasonably priced electricity will find their jobs next on the chopping block.

Meanwhile, billions of dollars have been wasted on "alternative energy" such as solar and wind power. Billions have been wasted in fiascoes such as the Solyndra deal.

Yet environmental radicals and some in the news media insist Obama "has barely dealt with the issue ..." Others take the president's word for any claim he chooses to make regarding climate change.

All the while, the United States is being forced to shift away from electricity generated economically by coal. In 2005, about 50 percent of the nation's power was produced at coal-fired stations. By last year the percentage had plunged to 37. If this is the way Obama and his liberal cronies define lack of success, his ultimate goal becomes clear: Apparently, he will be satisfied with nothing less than complete destruction of the coal industry.